Thursday Trade Tracker: Cincinnati Reds - A Franchise, A Dark Knight, and a 50 Home Run MVP

How many of you are still hurting from the Mets not making the playoffs this year? To me, it hurts even more because it was to the Reds. For what seems like a lifetime, ( It was a lifetime. The creaky Nick Castellanos was born in 1992, well after the Reds last won a title) the Reds have made the playoffs again at the Mets expense.

The history of Mets-Reds trades has to start with the greatest Met of them all. The statue, The Franchise, Tom Terrific. June 15, 1977 is a date stamped into the mind of every Mets fan alive at the time. Being 13, I'll never forget my father waking me up the next morning as he said, "The Mets traded Seaver." Before I could gasp, he saved the worst for last as he knew who was my favorite, the lanky Kong. "They traded (Dave) Kingman, too." By the way, Happy 77th Birthday last Sunday, Sky King.

The Mets almost traded Tom at the start of 1976 Spring Training to the Los Angeles Dodgers for future Hall of Famer Don Sutton and two unknown minor leaguers, Rick Sutcliffe and Pedro Guerrero! Interesting stat - since the start of 1976, Sutton won 26 more games than Seaver did. Sutcliffe won 171 games in his career, and Guerrero was a World Series co-MVP, had a lifetime .300 average, and garnered MVP votes in six different years. Not to sound blasphemous, but I would have made that trade if I could have seen into the future.

Due to so many books and pieces about the proprietor of GTS wines, I would like to focus on the Mets perspective on that Reds deal, RHP Pat Zachry, 2b Doug Flynn, OF Steve Henderson, and OF Dan Norman.

Zachry was the Co-Rookie of the Year in 1976 with future Met Butch Metzger of San Diego. Zachry won 14 games for The Big Red Machine, but never won more than 10 games in his career afterwards. He was the Mets representative in the 1978 All-Star Game but did not appear. Famously, he missed the rest of 1978 and most of 1979 after kicking a step in frustration and breaking his foot. He later had a long career as a gym teacher. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a baseball card show and we spoke about the trials of teaching! He was severely injured in a 2016 car crash as his wife passed away in the accident. He passed away in 2024 after a long illness.

Henderson was a bright light in the dark days of the late 70's for the Mets. He hit 12 homers and drove in 65 runs in only 99 games in 1977. Unfortunately, those numbers would remain career highs. He finished one vote behind Rookie of the Year winner, Hall of Famer Andre Dawson. Hendu hit .287 as a Met, one of the highest lifetime batting averages in Mets history. He might be best known for the "Steve Henderson Game" on June 14, 1980. The Mets were losing 6-2 to the San Francisco Giants with two out in the ninth inning, before a key hit by brand-new acquisition Claudell Washington brought up Henderson as the winning run. The Giants brought in Allen Ripley to pitch to Henderson, and after a brush back pitch (always known to fire him up), he hit an opposite field laser, the game winner! The first homer of the year for the cleanup hitter! Can you imagine a cleanup hitter's first homer didn't arrive until the middle of June? The stands went wild, as the Mets hadn't had much joy for a number of years. This 16-year old future writer/teacher in the stands would never forget it. How about this...Henderson said he proposed earlier that day, and he and the Mrs. are still married!

Doug Flynn was only the third Mets player to win a Gold Glove (after Tommie Agee and Bud Harrelson) and remains the only Met to win one at second base. Edgardo Alfonzo certainly deserved one. New Hall of Famer Jeff Kent certainly did not.

Dan Norman only appeared in 139 games as a Met and hit .230. You might remember when he tried switch hitting. That didn't work out so well. Maybe when you were a kid you tried to switch hit for fun. Maybe you looked kind of awkward and hopeless at your first few swings. Maybe you almost fell down. That's what Stormin' Dan Norman looked like as a left-handed hitter. What manager would have let a player look so bad??? That's right, Hall of Famer Joe Torre!

TEACHER SAYS F. It's the Tom Seaver trade! What else could I possibly give?

February 10, 1982 Mets get OF George Foster from Reds for RHP (later switch pitcher!) Greg Harris, RHP Jim Kern, and C Alex Trevino.

Now we are cooking! The Mets get the hard-hitting, 50-homer, MVP from the Big Red Machine! Three monsters in the middle of the lineup, combining with Kingman and Ellis Valentine! What could go wrong? Foster, like so many others, forgot how to be George Foster as a Met. After about six All-Star seasons, Foster hit 13 home runs and only 70 RBIs. If there was a stat for it, he would have lead the league in boos received. Joggin' George was always witnessed rarely hustling and always ended the game in a shiny clean uniform. No Lenny Dykstra scrappy play from George. He did drive in 90 and 86 runs in the following two seasons, but when you are expecting Mickey Mantle at the plate, and you get Mickey Lolich, disappointment follows. Foster was eventually released in august of the magical 1986 season. His replacement was old hero Lee Mazzilli. Maz had two key pinch hits in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series. Do they win it if Foster was still on the team?

TEACHER SAYS C+. Meh...

November 8, 1967. Mets get OF Art Shamsky for INF Bob Johnson.

The Mets get a key contributor for their 1969 Championship. Shamsky hits .300 and .293 in 1969 and 1970. Platooning by Gil Hodges kept Shamsky to a high of 122 games played as a Met. Numerous injuries shortened his career. He later was a sportscaster for many years and has written many books.

Shamsky was one of the many Jewish players on the Mets. Other Jewish Mets include pitcher Scott Schoenweis, INF Josh Satin, who seems to have a permanent position as "friend of David Wright", OF/INF Elliot Maddox, 1b Ike Davis, OF Kevin Pillar, recent Met and Westchester native Harrison Bader, and Shawn Green (no relation), perhaps the fourth greatest Jewish player in baseball history behind Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax, Hank Greenberg and the 1953 MVP Al Rosen.

TEACHER SAYS A. Did you know Art hit .538 in the NLCS vs. Atlanta?

May 8, 2018 Mets trade RHP Matt Harvey to Reds for C Devin Mesoraco.

Not an impactful trade, but an impactful person in Mets history. From his first game, Harvey was electric. July 26, 2012 at Arizona, he strikes out a record 11 batters in only 5.1 scoreless innings. His two hits only added to the legend.

Harvey started the All-Star Game at Citifield in 2013 before he needed Tommy John surgery. A wonderful comeback season in 2015 was highlighted by the Mets run to the World Series.

The Mets always had the tough as nails leader whenever they went to the Series. Seaver in 69 and Keith Hernandez in 86 filled those roles. Was Mike Piazza that kind of fearless leader in 2000? I'll put that up for debate.

Met fans remember Game 5 of the 2015 World Series when Harvey was storming to a complete game victory. With a two run lead, he walked the first batter, Lorenzo Cain. Should manager Terry Collins have pulled Harvey right there and then. When Eric Hosmer later doubled, it was almost too late. The Royals went on to win the series, and Matt Harvey, with about 200 innings a year after TJ surgery, was never the same again.

TEACHER SAYS C. Harvey had little left.

August 15, 2002 Mets trade LHP Shawn Estes to Reds for LHP Pedro Feliciano (along with OFs Raul Gonzalez and Brady Clark and minor league pitcher Elvin Beltre).

This didn't look like a major transaction, but Pedro Feliciano became an impactful player on the Mets during their early 2000's run in the NL East, especially with the Phillies. It seemed Feliciano would be pitching to Phillies mashers Ryan Howard and Chase Utley every single game. Feliciano pitched in 484 games as a Met, second all time in club history to John Franco! Interesting names appear on this list :

1) Franco, 695

2)Feliciano, 484

3)Jeurys Familia, 469

4)Seaver, 401

5)Jerry Koosman, 376

6)Jesse Orosco, 372

7)Tug McGraw, 361

8) Armando Benitez, 333

9) Edwin Diaz, 332 (Sorry for the tear stain)

10) Bobby Parnell, 327

Not many Mets played as many years as Feliciano's 9 while ONLY appearing in the Majors as a Met. Ed Kranepool, Ron Hodges, David Wright, and Brandon Nimmo (until he appears in his first Texas game) are ahead of Pedro.

It seems the only thing that could stop Perpetual Pedro (again, thanks Gary Cohen) was a heart condition. He passed away at the age of 45 in 2021.

TEACHER SAYS A. One of the underrated Mets in their history.

Other Mets-Reds transactions that you might have included on your list:

Jay Bruce, Lenny Harris, previously mentioned in another article Franco/Randy Myers, Bruce Berenyi, Seaver for Charlie Puleo, Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice, Tom Hall, and Don Zimmer!